Rogue Smoke Ale

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Smoked
Newport, Oregon USA

great aroma, lots of sweet smoke and crisp bacon .. . big smoke/chimney mouth .. pretty aggressive but still to easy to drink .. . i need some chocolate bacon .. . i am digging this .. . not as complex as some smokers but nice .. .

Year 2000 vintage from Sam at the Stuffed Sandwich. Thanks for being a packrat, Mr. Samaniego! 7 oz XS bottle. This review shouldn’t be very complicated as the beer wasn’t, so here’goes: Caramel malt, light smoke, oxidation.

Hella-aged bottle, likely from the original vintage, unearthed from ajm’s cache. Pours a deep amber color with a faint beige head. Unfortunately, there might have been a bit too much age on this bottle as the aroma and flavors seem to have thinned out and become subdued, particlarly the smoke, which is light and certainly lacking bite. Can’t wait to try a fresh batch of this to compare.

Holds form nicely upon pouring with a thick creamy head. Wasn’t really expecting it for this style. Nose is quite fragrant with a pretty birch and cherry waft. I picked up some hops as well. Quite austere to taste with not a lot of obvious malt, smoke or wood. Nice tangy hops in the back palate but I’m with the previous rater; not sure this is what the genre should be about. Still, a nice clean well made beer.

Rogue has a standard of making beer styles their own which I love about the brewery, but in this case it disappointed. As a rauchbier, I was looking for moderate to intense smoke aroma whereas this was lightly smoky. I also wanted a malty, somewhat heavy beer whereas this was light and watery and finished with hops. It was a good looking beer with orange-gold body and thick head with good lacing. The flavor was just not there as I could really taste whatever they used that wasn’t beechwood and I wasn’t a fan. Almost made it taste like Band-aids smell if that makes sense, though apparently that is what most people say about even the best rauchbiers, haha. In the end, I think this tastes like a standard hopped ale with smoke flavor thrown in. I’ll stick with my trusty Schlenkerla Urbock if y’all don’t mind : )

Compliments of ArmEd. Nice smoky flavor, but done in a subtle manner - not over-powering. Color was amber/orange, not as dark as many smokebeers. This beer gives you the enjoyment of a nice high quality ale, with the added bonus of a nice smokiness.

Bomber from beer tasting. Pours orange with a medium head. The group I was in was undoubtedly hyped to try their first “smoked.” Aroma was smoked wood, cured meat, and flowery hops – a good combo. This turned out to be the best way to describe the flavor as well. By the end of my glass, I became fixated on calling this a “hoppy smoked.” Fortunately, it worked. Reminds me of an interesting twist on their American Amber.

Bomber at the Bayou after a long night of drinking. Pours a light and clear copper color with a small white head. The aroma is fairly smoky, some malts also. The flavor is upfront meaty, some malts come through, the finish is all liquid smoke. Not as smoky as others but noticeably so to say the least. I probably shouldn’t have drank a whole bomber of this, but it went surprisingly well. Fairly quaffable, especially for a smoked.